Frequently asked questions

QCase is a quick and efficient way to file documents and manage civil proceedings in Magistrates Courts.

Some of the benefits of using QCase include:

• View case information and documents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• Access via desktop, laptop, and is compatible with mobile phones and tablets
• Receive case updates and notifications in real time
• Lodge documents any time on any day of the week

Please note that any documents lodged using QCase outside normal registry hours will only be processed and filed during business hours.  This means that documents lodged after 4:30pm will be taken to be filed the next business day, and date stamped as such.

Registered users who wish to commence civil proceedings, defend an action, or represent someone in a civil matter in a Magistrates Court or anyone wishing to make a public access request for civil matters can use QCase.

Using QCase is the preferred method, as it is an easy alternative and provides many benefits to progressing your civil matter through the Magistrates Court. However, if you do not have access to QCase online, you can still lodge your documents in person or by post.

When you lodge a claim or application through QCase, it will initially be visible to you, registry staff, and the court. Other parties named in the claim or application can join the case via QCase to see the documents, parties, and events.  Please note that the current responsibilities of parties regarding service of documents will still apply. See the lodging document FAQ below for further information.

Anyone can apply to search and copy certain documents in the court including matters lodged via QCase, subject to some limitations. See the search and copy FAQ below for more information.

Please note that your Portal account profile details are not included in any case record and not accessible to other parties.

Once a document has been filed (and where necessary approved by the registry), the document will be viewable by all parties with access to the case through QCase unless there is a suppression or non-publication order made by the court. If a suppression or non-publication order is made, the registry will mark the document (or part of the document) to prevent it from appearing to other parties.

Depending on whether the entire document or just parts of the document are suppressed, you may still need to file a redacted copy of the document that you intend to serve on the other party.

There are no fees to register and use QCase. However, most applications and claims require a filing fee to be paid when lodged.

When you visit QCase you will be asked to log in with your Digital ID. To register for a Digital ID account, you will need to provide certain identification documents to meet identity proofing requirements.

Find out about the Digital ID requirements on the Digital ID FAQ page.

A Digital ID is your online identity and keeps your transactions secure when using government online services. It makes it easier to prove who you are online, provides greater security to you, and helps to protect your information.

To register for a Digital ID, you will need to provide certain identification documents to meet identity proofing requirements.  Find out about the Digital ID requirements on the Digital ID FAQ page.

Yes, you can access QCase from your desktop, mobile phone, tablet, or laptop. However, when lodging applications, the preferred option is to use your desktop or laptop.

No, CITEC Confirm can continue to be used to lodge your civil documents.

The benefit of using QCase to lodge your matters is that you can manage the entire case electronically and not just for the lodgement of cases, requests for default judgment and enforcement hearing applications. There is no administration fee for using QCase.

You can continue to use CITEC Confirm to lodge your claims, and then manage your cases using QCase.

No, a business cannot register for QCase. Businesses and companies will need to have an individual (such as an account manager or business manager), who will need to register using their own Digital ID. The user can then lodge documents on behalf of the business.

Most documents need to be completed prior to lodging them through QCase. Some submissions such as a claim and statement of claim, will include the option to either:

• complete the forms electronically using a guided process on QCase, or
• prepare the documents separately and upload then them into QCase.

Following a guided process takes you through a series of questions and required information necessary to generate the appropriate forms. You will need to have prepared electronic versions of any additional supporting material that you wish to include when following a guided process.

All other matters and any further documentation filed on your case will need to be completed before uploading them. Find out more about Magistrates Courts’ forms.

Our business hours are Monday – Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm. If you lodge a document on QCase outside of these business hours (for example: before 8:30am, after 4:30pm, during a weekend/public holiday/closure period), QCase will record the document as being filed on the next business day at 8.30am.

Yes, you can still use QCase to lodge your documents. You simply need to  request access to the case  (Refer to the QCase Portal Guide for External Stakeholders (PDF, 1.7 MB).)

Please note: In relation to older cases started prior to QCase, these are referred to as ‘migrated files’, you will need to send a request by email to the relevant registry to be manually grant portal access to the case.

Please consider using this wording for the email request:

I have attempted to access/join the below case which is a CITEC/Migrated file, through the QCase portal however due to a system error I am unable to submit the request. Can you please arrange for my portal access to the following case:

Case Number:

Portal User Name:

I am the:  (enter details of the party or legal representative type e.g. Plaintiff, Plaintiff’s Legal Representative)

No, you are not able to lodge a domestic and family violence application using QCase. You will need to complete an application and attend your local courthouse registry in person to start a domestic and family violence proceeding.

For further information about making domestic and family violence applications, or if you need support, visit the Domestic and Family Violence information page.

If you believe that your civil application or document requires urgent processing, you should contact  the registry where the document is to be filed at, prior to lodging and discuss possible options or expected timeframes.

If you attach the incorrect file at the time of lodgment you will need to contact the registry where the document is filed at so registry staff can advise the next steps.

When commencing a proceeding or uploading documents to QCase, you will be required to enter some minimum information to help generate your case details within the system. If the information you enter during this process is incorrect, you can contact the registry where the documents are being lodged and registry staff can advise the next steps.

If the information within the documents being uploaded is incorrect, you will need to file amended documents through QCase as part of normal amendment procedures.

Depending on the type of document you file through QCase, some lodgements will be automatically processed by the system while others will require registry staff to process them. The timeframe for registry staff to process lodgements received through QCase can vary for several reasons:

• the number or complexity of your documents.
• whether your lodgement requires determination or consideration by a registrar or judicial officer.
• current registry workloads and backlog.

You can check the status of your lodgement by logging into the Portal and checking your relevant case.

You will be advised when your lodgement has been processed.

QCase provides up-to-date information regarding your case and documents. Your case or cases will have an overall status and each document filed also has a status that changes when a document is lodged, processed, or rejected. Some documents are automatically processed and sealed copies of these documents will be immediately available to view or print.

If the documents you are filing are not automatically processed, you will need to wait for them to be considered. Once processed, you will receive an email to advise that sealed copies of the documents are available. Where the documents have been rejected, you will also receive an email with the reasons and any next steps that you may need to take.

Notification alerts are also available within QCase. Click 'Notifications' from the left menu to see all of the alerts for your cases.

No. The party lodging the claim, application or document remains responsible for serving the other party or parties in accordance with the law. Find out more about service requirements.

Once a document has been submitted and processed, a sealed version becomes available to download, print and serve on the other party. You can access the sealed copy of the document by selecting the matter from the list of cases and then selecting the hyperlinking text for the document name under ‘court file’. QCase does not automatically serve another party.

Please note you can view filed documents on a case by clicking the ‘view’ button. A watermark will appear when viewing the document online, however the watermark will not appear when you download or print the document via the hyperlink as mentioned above.

If your lodgement is rejected, you will be advised of the rejection by email or by notification alert. An explanation or reasons for rejection will be provided. If you require further information for your rejection or refusal, you can contact the registry that issued it.

Where a filing fee or additional fees have been paid, registry staff will contact you to arrange a refund.

QCase allows you to securely pay for filing fees and other payments through Smart Services Queensland (SSQ). After clicking Pay Now in QCase, you will be redirected to the SSQ payment gateway to enter your Credit or Debit card details.

Once the payment has been made, you can click ‘Return to online services’ to return to QCase. A copy of your receipt will be emailed to your registered email address.

Yes, you can still use QCase to respond to or defend the matter. You will just need to have the case file number from the documents served on you to enable you to request access to the case. (Refer  to the QCase Portal Guide for External Stakeholders (PDF, 1.7 MB))

Documents that have been lodged through QCase will be digitally stamped as Electronically Filed. Any documents that do not have this stamp will not have been lodged through QCase. Regardless of how a document is lodged, the other party will still need to serve you in accordance with the law. Find out more about service requirements.

You are required to make payment within 48 hours after lodging. If payment is not received within this time, your lodgement will be rejected. Weekends, public holidays, and registry closures are not included as part of the 48 hours.

QCase has an in-built assistance tool on the screen.

Just click the '?' at the bottom right of the QCase screen and choose a topic from the list. It will then guide you through the process “live” using step-by-step instructions.

There are also smart tips and information icons to provide further assistance.

If you prefer a written guide, you can refer to the QCase Portal Guide for External Stakeholders (PDF, 1.7 MB). You can also refer to the QCase Portal demonstration video on YouTube.

If you are still experiencing difficulties, in using the Portal, contact 1300 509 062 or email  Case-Apps-Support@justice.qld.gov.au

It is important to ensure your address for service and contact details are accurate. Although you can change your contact details in your Profile on QCase, this will not update the court’s record and will not update your address for service. You must file the appropriate documents to change these.

Anyone can apply to search and copy certain documents in a Magistrates Court. However, there are rules and legislation that may limit or prevent who can access documents.

How documents can be accessed also depends on when the court file was commenced.

Files commenced earlier than 1 January 2019 will not be viewable on QCase. A request to search, inspect or copy a document on these files should be made by completing the Search and copy court documents online form or download the Request to Inspect or Copy Civil Court Documents (DOC, 166.0 KB) form. Once processed, the court registry will provide further details about the result of your request.

Files commenced from 1 January 2019 and onwards should be available on QCase and can be accessed via the ‘Public Access’ tab. Once a file is selected, you will be able to view basic details of the file and the index of documents on the file. Note that these files may not contain digitised versions of all documents. Some or all documents on the file may remain in physical files. Requests to search, inspect or copy documents on files that contain physical documents (i.e. documents that have not been digitised) should be made by completing a Search and copy court documents online form or the Request to Inspect or Copy Civil Court Documents form (DOC, 166.0 KB). Once processed, the court registry will provide further details about the result of your request.

Files commenced in QCase will be available on QCase to search on the Portal. All documents on these files should also be available on QCase as digital documents. You can make a search and copy request using the ‘Public Access’ tab in QCase. From the Public Access tab, search for a case using party name or case number ( See troubleshooting below regarding case number formats). Select the case you wish to access, and you will be able to view basic details of the case and the index of documents on the file. To inspect or copy (download) a document in a file, a request must be made to the court via QCase. Once processed, you will then gain access to the document to view and/or copy (download) directly via QCase.

All requests or applications to search, inspect or copy a file or document (whether via QCase or the ‘Search and copy court documents’ application form) will be reviewed by a registry staff member. The associated fees must also be paid before access is granted.

Please note, some case files may not appear in a public search. If a file has a potential non-publication order, or you believe you should be able to see a file and can’t, you should contact your local registry to confirm if the record exists. If the case file is a public record, the file will be made available in QCase.

Firm Administrators have the highest level of access within the QCase portal and can view all cases and user profiles that are related to their organisation. A general user will have limited access to cases within the QCase portal as per the permissions given by the Firm Administrator.

The Firm Administrator is responsible for managing their employee’s user access within the QCase portal. This includes configuring new and existing employee access and granting or removing access to the organisations cases in QCase.

A Firm Administrator can nominate multiple Firm Administrator users within their organisation.

Each organisation must have at least one Firm Administrator. A Firm Administrator cannot remove themselves as the administrator of their organisation unless another user has been assigned the role of Firm Administrator.

Before a user can join an organisation, they must register to access the QCase portal as individuals via their Digital ID and verify their business email address in the QCase portal. Ensure your employee has registered in the QCase portal and their registered business email address matches your organisations email domain.

If you have followed the steps to register your organisation and verify your business email address, you should be able to see the 'User Management' option in the side menu. If you cannot see this option it may be due to another user already being listed as the Firm Administrator for your organisation. Click on 'Profile' and scroll down to the 'Business or organisation profile' section. This will show who is listed as Administrator for your organisation. Your Firm Administrator will need to assign you the role of Firm Administrator in the QCase portal.

Refer to the Firm Administration Guide (PDF, 896.8 KB).

If you are unable to submit a document or the attachment is not uploading, try the following steps:

• Confirm that all attachments are in the correct format: .doc, .docx, .pdf, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .xls, and .xlsx.
• Confirm that the size of each document is not more than 100MB. If a document is more than 100MB, you will need to separate the document and save as multiple files before attempting to re-upload.
• Confirm that you have completed all required fields. Required fields are marked with a red asterisk *
• The saved document name should be no more than 20 characters

If these steps do not rectify the issue, contact  the Client Systems Support Team  by phone on 1300 509 062 or email Case-Apps-Support@justice.qld.gov.au for assistance.

When searching for a case please be aware of the below elements regarding case numbers:

• 5 years of Magistrates Court cases have been migrated to QCase. The case number for migrated Magistrates Court matters will contain the “M” prefix followed by a six-digit case number, a slash and the year, e.g., “M000123/22”. When searching for migrated cases by case number either: - Enter the full number for the case including any zeros preceding the case number e.g., “M000012/22”.
• Newly created cases in QCase will not contain the preceding zeros before the case number e.g., “M1234/24”.

Older cases which started prior to QCase are referred to as ‘migrated files’. You will need to send a request by email to the relevant registry to be manually granted portal access to the case.

Suggested wording for the request is a follows:

I have attempted to access/join the below case which is a CITEC/Migrated file, through the QCase portal however due to a system error I am unable to submit the request. Can you please arrange for my portal access to the following case:

Case Number:

Portal User Name:

I am the: (enter details of the party or legal representative type e.g. Plaintiff, Plaintiff’s Legal Representative)